by Connie Oswald Stofko Most lawns don’t need phosphorus. And if you use a fertilizer containing phosphorus on your lawn, the excess phosphorus can wash off and pollute our waterways. That’s why the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is running its “Look for the Zero” campaign. If you want to use a chemical fertilizer on your lawn, make sure you choose one without phosphorus. Fertilizer labels have three numbers. The number in the middle is the percentage of…
To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Garden Walk Buffalo, the Buffalo Architecture Foundation has partnered with Gardens Buffalo Niagara to launch the 2019 Pollinator House Design-Build Competition. This unique design-build competition encourages participants to submit a functional, contemporary pollinator house. The houses will be displayed during Garden Walk Buffalo and then auctioned off to support the programs of both Gardens Buffalo Niagara and the Buffalo Architecture Foundation. The competition seeks to bring awareness to the wide array of pollinators in Western New…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Local landscapers created gardens at Plantasia this past weekend around the theme of “Plantasia in Paradise.” Various awards were announced at Preview Night on Wednesday. Throughout the rest of the show, visitors were invited to vote for their favorite landscaped garden. It was difficult for many people. I heard one after another say, “Oh, but they were all so good!” After all the votes were counted, Tripi’s Landscaping came out on top and received the People’s…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Yesterday I took some kitchen scraps out to my compost bin. The air temperature was only about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and I was surprised by how warm it felt in the sun. It made me want to putter in my garden. But don’t rush things. One thing you have to be concerned about is walking around on a wet lawn or garden bed. Walking on wet soil can compact the soil, which isn’t good for your…
by Connie Oswald Stofko Tell your friends that today, Tuesday, March 26 is the last day to enter to win a gardener’s prize package worth more than $200. All they have to do to enter is to subscribe to Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com. And it’s free to subscribe! If you are already subscribed, you’re already entered. I love my loyal readers! But if you haven’t subscribed, do it today. You will automatically be entered into our prize drawing. We will choose the winners tomorrow morning (Wednesday,…
Scholarships are available from the Master Gardeners of Erie County and from the Amherst Garden Club. Master Gardeners of Erie County The Master Gardeners of Erie County are offering a $1,000 scholarship to high school seniors who are going on to college to study horticulture, botany or a related field. The deadline to apply is Monday, April 15. Completed applications must be submitted by mail to the Cornell Cooperative Extension Erie County office, 21 S. Grove St., East Aurora, NY 14052, Attention: Master Gardener…
by Connie Oswald Stofko There is still time to enter our great prize drawing. To enter, just subscribe to Buffalo-NiagaraGardening.com, the online gardening magazine for Western New York. It’s free to subscribe! The deadline to enter is Tuesday, March 26. If you are already subscribed, you are already entered. Hey, I love my loyal readers! Three winners will be selected at random from our list of subscribers. Each will win a prize package worth more than $200! The deadline to enter is Tuesday, March…
When you started your compost pile, you may have worried about attracting mice and rats. But here’s a new concern: coyotes. Eastern coyotes are well adapted to suburban and even some urban environments. They are becoming a more common sight to gardeners in Western New York, and you don’t want to attract them to your yard. One thing gardeners can do is to enclose compost piles so coyotes can’t get at them. That’s a tip from the New York State…
by Connie Oswald Stofko The first day of spring occurs on Wednesday, but where in Western New York will it really seem like spring? At Plantasia! Plantasia, the premier garden and landscape show for Western New York, will be held inside the Fairgrounds Event Center & Artisan Hall, 5820 South Park, Hamburg. You can stroll through gardens filled with real trees, shrubs and flowers, as well as water features, patios, paths and seating areas. You’ll be able to get ideas…
You can buy compost bins and rain barrels at wholesale prices during a sale being held by Erie County in partnership with the Western New York Storm water Coalition, the City of Buffalo and the Town of Wheatfield. The deadline to order is Friday, May 3. You will pick up your order at one of two locations: the City of Buffalo Engineering Garage, 1120 Seneca St., Buffalo, or the Town of Wheatfield Town Hall, 2800 Church Rd., North Tonawanda. The…